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John Lombardi, Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, maintains that funding on a university campus goes to what will make a difference to the university.  U Mass Amherst has a 26 story building currently housing library materials.  Lombardi would like to know why he should invest $50 million into that building which is in need of renovation.  Why should that $50 million go into a building and not to faculty research or educational programs or a storage facility off campus.  He wants librarians to tell him what the statistics are that measure the value of and reasons for the academic library. 

Is the library essential?  What are the real reasons we have libraries in universities?  Do the statistics we gather measure those reasons?  Lombardi is not the only person asking about the value of academic libraries.  Communicating the value of academic libraries is the ACRL President’s theme for 2006-2007   http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2006/september06/valueacademiclibraries.htm . 

Several studies have been done examining the contingent value of public libraries on their communities.  Studies in academic libraries have also examined contingent value of various library services and portions of collections. Would this be an effective tool for communicating the value of the academic library?  Stephen Abram recently wrote about data and the value of libraries in “The Value of Libraries: Impact, Normative Data, & Influencing Funders”.    http://www.imakenews.com/sirsi/e_article000396335.cfm?x=b11,0,w

What is the value of the library to UT Arlington?  How do we communicate the value of the library to our administration?  Do we have the right data? 

This will be an open discussion of issues surrounding accurately measuring and effectively communicating the value of academic libraries.

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November 23

Round-table discussion of professional activities


September 21

Julie Alexander, Mary Castle, Antoinette Nelson: Reorganization of SEL

May 16

Ann Hodges, Brenda McClurkin: Documenting the Texas Revolution: Resources in The University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections

April 18

Conferences, workshops, or seminars attended

March 14

Ramona Holmes: Presentation about Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) Conference in December 2004

February 9

Guest Speaker Pat O'Neill, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Associate Dean of Students (UTA)

January 5

Discussion about the EDUCAUSE 2004 annual conference.
 

• Marie Irwin & Karen Hopkins discussed Marcus Buckingham’s presentation.
• Gerald Saxon related Bob Samson’s experience at the Napster workshop.